Councilman Will Culver, a former Huntsville police officer and magistrate, said that wasn't enough for a workforce dealing with rising gasoline, utility and grocery bills. He first suggested a 5 percent COLA, then said he would not agree to anything less than 3 percent.

Following today's special session, Culver said "the votes weren't there" for a 3 percent COLA, which would have added $3.3 million to next year's budget.

He said he would like to grant an additional 1 percent raise next spring if sales tax collections are strong.

"If the funds don't come in," Culver said, "then we haven't overcommitted ourselves and won't have to lay people off."

The amended budget passed 4-1, with Culver, Bill Kling, John Olshefski and Richard Showers in favor and Council President Mark Russell opposed.

Russell said he is concerned a 2 percent COLA will create "too big a budget hole" for the city during a tenuous economy.

"I don't have high hopes for increasing tax revenues next year," he said after the vote. "I guess I'm just not as bullish on sales tax revenues as the rest of the council."

Battle said the $2.2 million needed for the COLA will come from leaving many vacant jobs unfilled and replacing retirees with younger workers at lower salaries.

"There's no margin of error in the budget," he said after the meeting. "We're going to have to keep expenditures and personnel costs down as low as we can.

"It'll be a challenge, but we'll make it."

Steve Butler, president of the Huntsville Firefighters Association, said the COLA will provide a nice morale boost for city employees.

"We felt like 3 percent was a reasonable compromise," Butler said. "But you've got to be satisfied with what you can get, and 2 percent is better than nothing."

A COLA wasn't the only last-minute change to Battle's spending plan.

At Kling's request, the council added $2.5 million to the 2020 capital budget for a gym at McDonnell Elementary School to be shared by the city's recreation department, the school system and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Kling suggested paying for the gym by removing money previously earmarked for neighborhood revitalization projects and architectural plans for a new City Hall complex.

City Councilman Bill Kling says the shuttered West Huntsville Elementary School building on 9th Avenue would be an ideal permanent home for The Schools Foundation and Arts Council Inc. (The Huntsville Times/Robin Conn)

He also got $1 million inserted into the 2018 capital budget to purchase the old West Huntsville Elementary building from the city school system.

Kling wants to turn the shuttered 9th Avenue campus into a permanent home for two local nonprofits -- The Schools Foundation and Arts Council Inc. "It contributes toward revitalizing what is one of the most challenged areas of the city," he said.

The council passed an amendment offered by Showers to move the Northern Bypass up a notch on the city's priority list.

Meanwhile, Culver won council approval to give an additional $140,000 to three outside agencies that he supports.

SciQuest Hands-on Science Center will get $100,000 from the city for building upgrades if it can raise the same amount privately by March 31.

The city will also send an extra $33,000 to EarlyWorks Museums and $7,000 more to Partnership for a Drug-Free Community.